{"product_id":"devices-and-desires-9780099590224","title":"Devices and Desires","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe definitive biography' Roy Strong\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe remarkable story of Bess of Hardwick, her ascent through Elizabethan society and the houses she built that shaped British architectural history.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBorn in 1521, Bess of Hardwick, businesswoman, money-lender and property tycoon, lived an astonishing eighty-seven years. Through canny choices, four husbands and a will of steel she rose from country squire's daughter to Dowager Countess, establishing herself as one of the richest and most powerful women in England, second only to Queen Elizabeth.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBess forged her way not merely by judicious marriage, but by shrewd exploitation of whatever assets each marriage brought. Wealth took concrete form in her passion for building and she oversaw every stage of the construction of her four houses including Hardwick New Hall, her sole surviving building, which stands as a celebration of one woman's triumphant progress through Elizabethan England.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA dynamic portrait \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt's high time for a new biography of this extraordinary woman, who was a cross between Chaucer's Wife of Bath and Thackeray's Becky Sharp... \u003ci\u003eDevices and Desires \u003c\/i\u003eis \u003cb\u003efluently written and full of vivid colour and detail\u003c\/b\u003e... \u003cb\u003eThis book will take its place rightly as the definitive biography of Bess of Hardwick\u003c\/b\u003e -- Roy Strong * Country Life *\u003cbr\u003ePart biography and part building history, considering along the way the erection of Elizabethan prodigy houses, such as Longleat, Theobalds, Wollaton, and, above all, Bess's Hardwick New Hall. It is in here that we can still see Bess's wit, ambition, creativity and vast wealth... \u003cb\u003eMeticulous\u003c\/b\u003e... \u003cb\u003eA work of considerable scholarship\u003c\/b\u003e -- Suzannah Lipscomb * The Spectator *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCarefully researched and smartly written\u003c\/b\u003e... The story of building in the 16th century is an \u003cb\u003eelegant\u003c\/b\u003e way into the ambitions and preoccupations of Bess's world.... The book's true stars are the buildings and \u003cb\u003eone is grateful to its author for reminding us how wonderful they were\u003c\/b\u003e -- Nicola Shulman * The Oldie *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA dynamic portrait of Bess's life\u003c\/b\u003e... Hubbard makes \u003cb\u003ecreative\u003c\/b\u003e use of often-overlooked sources, such as lists of purchases, to flesh out Bess's daily life and surroundings, and how she sought to shape both. The \u003cb\u003efascinating\u003c\/b\u003e relationship between Bess's biography and her building projects is also brought to the fore. Bess of Hardwick emerges from \u003ci\u003eDevices and Desires \u003c\/i\u003eas a fascinating and influential woman -- Joanne Paul * BBC History Magazine *\u003cbr\u003eAn \u003cb\u003eenjoyable retelling of Bess’s long and remarkable life\u003c\/b\u003e…and her \u003cb\u003eastonishing\u003c\/b\u003e impulse to build -- Richard Hopton * Country \u0026amp; Town House *\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Vintage Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48732319940951,"sku":"9780099590224","price":11.69,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780099590224.jpg?v=1719996398","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/devices-and-desires-9780099590224","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}